Koishii
by SafetyGirl0
Summary: A tale of a first meetings, of secrets and the price paid for those secrets... of a young woman and the third captain of the Shinsengumi. Alt pairing! Crossover between RK and NHK Shinsengumi
1. Prologue In the Smoke

Prologue - In the Smoke

June 1878

A man stood in the forest. The air was thick with smoke, a terrible smell… not of wood but something terrible and greasy, casting great black clouds over the moon. "Who goes there?" she called out, wishing she had thought to bring a lantern. Or someone with her. Her place of exile was so isolated… and strangers were rare, on this estate near the slopes of Mt. Hiei.

The figure paused, and there was a flash of light and the earth shook again. All afternoon and into this night it was unending… rumors had circled among the servants for weeks now, of more activity, of almost an army of men going into the mountain. Impossible now, these were peaceful times after all. But news was so rare out here that there could be a revolution going on for all she knew.

He saw the woman, silhouetted in the darkness by the light of the fires from Shishio's headquarters burning in the distance. He was alive, of course, just like he told that ahou he would be. Alive but obviously effected, because he was seeing things.

Hide squinted slightly, trying to get a clear look at the man, but his face was cast in shadow.

A dim light appeared behind her. "Come, Ohide-san…" one of the servants took her arm to lead her away, taking the lantern with them.

"But there's a man in the woods, he's hurt," Hide told the old man. "We must -"

"Now Ohide-san - those were dangerous men that have been seen around; we must be careful."

"No.. he…" _he looked like Hajime. No no I can't think that_, she thought, her head feeling like it was spinning, it's just another dream. Just another illusion, like the dreams that had haunted her all these years, of longing for the one who was forever lost to her. _Ghosts_. She turned away, trying to keep her hands from shaking. They must not know that she was upset.

_I'll come back_... words echoed through her head, rising to a buzzing noise. "Take me back to the house, but please see what that man wants?" Suddenly she wanted to lay down, have someone bring her tea and sleep, sleep and not be haunted like this.

It was true that he had survived much worse. Although the cumulative total over a short time.. Usui's injuries to his legs, and Shishio's blows… even in his pain he had to grin slightly. That crazy ahou was smart... Too smart.

_Good thing he's dead. _

Saitou's head feel back against a tree. There was something calming about these woods, but it had taken too long to get out of that place, it was dark by the time he left the ruins.

And then the woman… _Stop it - it was just a woman and she got scared off. It wasn't -her-. _

Pain makes a man think crazy things, after all. He made a grunting noise. No, this wasn't pain… he had felt much worse.

He went to pull out a cigarette - his last one. _I'm half-dead in the middle of nowhere and now I'm out of cigarettes._ -Wonderful-, he thought as he lit the stick of tobacco. Inhaling deeply, he felt in his pocket for something else. The fires glowed only slightly now in the distance, but he didn't need light - he knew every carved line of this small object.

_I'll wait…_ A reminder - of a morning of sunshine, a moment of tranquility inbetween battles. Of what he was fighting for. _Hajime… if you're going to help me get set back right you need to take care with my combs, not break them! Her laughter… only invited him to join in. In Aizu they do nice lacquer ware… when I return I'll bring you something pretty… I'll take this half to remind me._

Of course... There was no time for shopping for presents during those days. A foolish hope… just as it all had been. Yet he still carried this, couldn't let it go, just like the memories of those stolen moments in Kyoto. Sakura carved into a comb, blooms that would never fade. No, it was something else that must have faded.

"Sir?" a wavering voice interrupted him. His hand automatically settled on his sword as he opened one eye. An old man, stooped and weathered stood before him, holding a lantern.

"What?" He had no patience to be polite. Kami, even if this was someone's property and he scared some woman it wasn't as if he were going to lay here and die, nor was he going to start any trouble.

"My mistress wished to see if we could offer assistance…"

For a moment he wanted to see that woman. But Tamesaburou said that she was in Kobe - not outside Kyoto. In Kobe with her husband, and probably children by now. Saitou exhaled smoke as he looked up. "Kyoto. I need to get back to Kyoto."

The old man nodded. "I'll help you to the main road. I am Hiro, of the Kuroki household." He offered a hand to Saitou, who waved it away. He wasn't bad enough to need an old man to drag him around... "If you're injured Kuroki-san said we were to tend you..." Something in Hiro's voice sounded grudging. Saitou stood, trying not to wince as the wounds in his legs stung and not noticing as a small object fell to the forest floor.

_Just wanting to get me out of here_, he smirked at that. "No, I just need to get back to Kyoto. You can tell your mistress that I'm with the police and mean no harm." After all he was still in uniform, even if it was ripped and dirtied. How he hated that.

"I'll let her know; it will ease her mind," the old man seemed only slightly less disapproving but not much. Saitou didn't care what the old man thought, the sooner he was back to Kyoto the sooner he could wrap up this mission.

--  
Authors Notes: A blending of NHK's tagia drama "Shinsengumi!" and of Rurouni Kenshin. All characters are owned by their respective owners. A work in progress!


	2. Chapter 1 Meetings

Chapter 1 - Meetings

Kyoto, 1863

"Okaasan! I'm going out!" a young man called out behind him, making quick work out the gates before anyone - mother, father, grandmother - could raise a voice in protest. _Free free I'm free!_ She would skip, but young men don't skip. Another thing to remember...

And even as a young woman... she was past the age of skipping. But Hidejiro... until recently was a young woman named Hide, couldn't resist a grin. Of satisfaction, of triumph... she only had to wait for them to be busy with breakfast dishes and now -

She looked at the streets of Mibu village before her, those that led into Kyoto proper. On this early spring day in the year the foreigners called 1863, she was free. While she should have brought a haori for the slight chill - a man's kimono had significantly fewer layers than a woman's - temperature didn't matter. It didn't matter if it rained. She could do as she wished without looking over her shoulder - all of the pressures... from her parents to play along in this cross-dressing charade; to keep her brothers behaved; to stay scarce from those well-meaning men who thought that Hidejiro could use some martial arts or sword training. No - this morning she was free.

But not entirely, she realized, hearing the clatter of the swords on her hip and feeling the constraints against her chest as she took a deep breath. Bindings... and reasons for her to not tarry in Mibu. They may be able to fool those country samurai, but people in the village that had known her since she was born? Best to not have any rumors going on about the "strange" Yagi girl. _At this rate_, she reflected, _Otousan will never get me married off. _

As she neared Kyoto, Hide almost by instinct turned towards the district where the cloth dealers and kimono shops were... thinking of how it would soon be summer, and time for something new... _a yukata the color of summer grass as it stirs in the breeze, dotted with small flowers. That would be a dream of simple beauty... Waiting by the gates, looking up at my beloved as he comes to see me to the Gion festival and laughing with him as he takes my hand._

She shook her head. What a thing to think! Soon she would be as man-crazy as her two cousins, the biggest flirts in all of Kansai region. But still, the idea...

It is such a nice idea.

Saitou Hajime made his way down the back streets of Kyoto. Weighing ties to the past and assessing the change that beckoned. The group lead by Kondou Isamu from the Shikan dojo back in Edo offered more than just a job - it was a chance to do something. To live as a samurai - to show those fools in Aizu that laughed behind his father's back about their status, that his son could serve Japan in a time of crisis and keep its capital city safe. To restore the honor he took from his family when he killed that ahou. The Yakuza... he frowned. It was time to cut those ties. But one thing he accomplished this morning, he had secured lodgings with what little money he had. A simple room above a teahouse - some privacy.

There was something about staying at the Yagi house with the others. It wasn't just the tension between the two factions of the Miburoshi; between those who supported Kondou Isami and those who were the men of Serizawa Kamo, but that house...

Was this the best temporary lodgings to be found? It felt so strange to be boarding with that family. A perfectly nice, ordinary family. A man and his wife, and mother-in-law. Two sons, servants. They seemed so _nice_.

Two sons. He smirked slightly at that. Did those people think that he and his comrades were fools? But then after seeing how the others seemed to accept that... perhaps they were. Was he the only one who could tell the difference between a man and a woman, and when one was doing a poor job at posing as the other? For all the tales of wild nights in Shimbara and Gion, perhaps they weren't as _knowledgeable_ as they believed themselves to be.

Yet while it was amusing to a point it vexed him. She was so bad at playing a man that it must be a recent disguise, and given that she seemed reluctant enough to learn swords she wasn't the type, like those in stories, who cut her hair and decided to fight as a man for whatever reason. So the reason must be, then...

They wanted to protect the young girl against him and his comrades. After all, who were they but a group of country samurai?

But weren't they -still- samurai? Yagi-san himself was a farmer - one long past working in the dirt, as evidenced by his crest and swords and fine city home. But the honor was still there, from Kondou and Hijikata, from farms themselves, to himself. That girl would have remained untouched. But no, they were not even allowed the chance to behave as honorable men. The polite bows hid deceit.

That was why the trickery gnawed at him. That and it also bothered him the other morning... to see how roughly they treated her. The girl also seemed bothered as well, as evidenced by the look of grim shock she wore. She has such an expressive face... for a moment he half-wondered what her real smile looked like, but shook away such foolish thoughts.

It was that expressive face that sailed past him, to his surprise. What is she doing outside of the house?

What secrets did this girl have? A rendezvous with a lover?

Or… was the reason that this family kept secrets was not to protect the girl's virtue, but for darker purposes? Saitou was very aware of the politics that circled around the group - of shifting alliances, inside and outside. Could this "Hidejiro" be a part of this? A woman spy wasn't unheard of, however, this one seemed rather ill at ease.

It only added to the mystery. And that's why he followed - he would not see this group be taken down by some mischievous girl.

_Where am I going?_ Hide didn't really know as she made her way through Kyoto's ancient streets, past places she knew so well.

_And I don't really care_. That, too, added to the reckless feeling of freedom that made every step lighter. Even before a trip into the city alone was rare, and then it was for a quick errand or another. After all, young girls don't run about unescorted.

Saitou called out Hidejiro's name once as he followed her meandering through the streets, then twice, and she still didn't turn. He smirked, she really was bad at this… couldn't even remember her name. As she turned down an alley he followed, and was pleased to see that it was a dead end.  
_I thought this went to_… Hide turned around to leave, only to see her path blocked by… one of them.

Saitou smirked. "Lost, Hidejiro-kun?" He leaned slightly against the wall but was no less alert. "You should pay attention… especially when someone's been following you for some time." He chuckled slightly, she looked so surprised, even though she was trying to hide it. If she were a spy, either she was the worst or being transparent was part of her game.

"Ah… I'm sorry… Saitou-san," she remembered his name just in time. Saitou Hajime. From Edo. Part of Kondou-san's group, not Serizawa-san's. "I was on an errand for my mother…" Yes, that would explain it, wouldn't it?

"You are a poor liar, Hidejiro-kun," he chuckled but he was also smarting from her lie - did she think him a fool? His eyes narrowed as he glared at the small figure in front of him, how her cheeks were now flushed, and he couldn't shake how ridiculous she looked with those swords at her waist. A thought crossed his mind and he smirked. "So you've been taking lessons… let's see what you've learned."

Hide almost jumped. "I've just started, Saitou-san." She wanted to refute his "liar" comment but she _was_ lying… so many lies upon lies that it was suffocating her.

"Maaa… excuses, -boy-," he relished calling her that. "Draw, or are you a coward?"

_I may be going along in deception but I am not a coward_. Her eyes flashed and she drew her sword in what she hoped was a decent interpretation of how Kondou-san had taught her. She tried to keep her hands steady and her gaze even, because that tall, smirking man was coming to infuriate her more than scare her. But while she wore real swords, she had only practiced with shinai…

He expected her to be this awkward, but the fire in her eyes… he had almost expected her to burst  
into tears, like a woman would. He drew his sword and charged to her without warning.

She only had a moment to react. I don't know what to do! Her sword felt heavy and she didn't know what do - hit him? And his was coming at her - she let go of the hilt and ducked against the side of the alleyway.

"Tch…" He stopped, shaking his head, and picked up her sword. "Better a coward and not fight than pull a stunt like that." _I wasn't going to hurt her…_

"I've just begun training," she protested again, aware of what a terrible excuse it was.

"You're very bad at this," Saitou returned his sword to his saya. "Even for a girl."

"What?" Hide used her best boyish voice. "I'm not…"

"I'm not a fool, and I know what you are." Saitou watched her through narrowed eyes, that horrid tone she affected . "So where were you going? Who were you going to see?" He crossed his arms, standing in the middle of the alleyway. 

She looked away, and slipped back into her natural voice. "I wanted to get away. Just for an hour…" she looked down at her hands, wondering why she felt so compelled to confess to this man - but he had asked, and she needed so badly to tell. Hide knew that her parents would only be upset since they were the ones forcing her into being who she wasn't, and her brother was too young to understand. Since that night she had cried on her mother's shoulder as her grandmother watched… she had promised to herself to keep what she felt from her family and always smile - today, out of the house, was to be her time to escape from being Hidejiro, the Yagi boy and Hide, the dutiful daughter and just breathe the free air… "I simply needed to get out."

_Get out_? Something within him… an idea came to mind. "You can be my page, Hidejiro-kun. I'll keep your secrets; I'll even teach you something about swords. And you will," he chuckled, and that little room flashed in his mind, "get out."

She tossed her hair, and said in that horrid voice she affected, "and if I don't agree?"

Saitou smirked and moved closer to the girl, grabbing her wrist so she wouldn't run. "Then… young lady… I'll make sure some know. You should not be so naïve… you can see what kind of men Serizawa has with him." Most of Kondou's men were good men but those men of Serizawa's were rough around the edges, and not in a friendly way like Harada.

_Blackmailed… I'm being -blackmailed-_… she thought in terror. Who was this man?

_But what choice did she have_? "Hai," she said in a low voice.

"Speak up, _boy_," he moved closer.

_I'm not afraid I'm NOT_. She looked up at him, her eyes resolute. "Saitou-san, I will serve as your page." Hide stepped away, pulling her arm free from his grip and bowed, formally.

He couldn't help it as he grinned. _Good she has some fire in her_… it would have been tedious if she had begun weeping. "Then tomorrow, Hidejiro-kun… be waiting at dawn. We start -early-."

_Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and I'll have dreamed all of this_, she thought - and hoped - as Saitou moved aside, and she walked back to Mibu in a daze.

_That girl,_ Saitou walked back towards that teahouse, a smirk still on his face, _she has no idea what she's just agreed to_. And this was also for the others… that this game this girl in playing at will not cause damage to what they were all working for.

Then he realized that he didn't even know her name. But there would be time for that later.

--  
Authors Notes: An attempt to blend NHK's tagia drama "Shinsengumi!" with Rurouni Kenshin. I don't own any of these characters... a big thanks to those who inspire me. :) A work in progress.


	3. Chapter 2 Sneak

Koishii Chapter 2

Sneak

"You can take a break," Saitou yelled over to his young page, wondering if the girl had ever worked so hard in her life. Probably not… her hands were soft, and she was panting, with a dizzy look in her eyes.

"Must you be so rough on Hidejiro-kun?" Okita had been watching for some time, although Saitou had a suspicion that it wasn't so much to see his training techniques as it was to keep an eye on comings and goings from the Yagi house.

"He's not had any training." He hid a grin as the girl gulped down water from the well and then demurly patted down her neck and the skin. A man would have stripped to the waist after getting hot and sweaty from training. "And he was trying to sneak out on me this morning," he added in a loud voice, to make sure she _heard_.

"Ah, well Kondou-san was saying that it's good that you've taken the Yagi boy under your care. We want to do something for the family since they've taken us in, but he was worried that he wouldn't have time to do it himself." They both watched her as she carefully set her sword down, moving slowly like someone who was sore and tired. They both remembered those early days of their own training well.

Hide heard the two talking and made a face down at the water. She wasn't sneaking to get away from him but to try to get to the bath her mother made for her early each morning, where they could make sure she had privacy.

The water felt so good… how she just wanted to dive in headfirst into the well. To clean up and cool off but also to get away from that man who held her secrets. How much more of this training? Maybe he would get bored with her soon. Or perhaps she wouldn't have to dress as a boy forever.

The night before, her mother had asked her, "Hide-chan… do you think anyone has figured this out?"

"Do you think so?" Maybe if she simply confessed to her mother… then this entire charade could be over. She could be herself again.

"I hope not," her mother frowned, "your father truly believes this to be the best course of action. They'll only be here a short time." She shook her head, "some, like Kondou-san, seem to be very good men but some of the others… it's just for the best, your father and I agree."

_It's just for the best_…

"Hidejiro! Don't take all day!" Suddenly he was up behind her.

"Where did Okita-san go?" The broadness of his shoulders and his height prevented her from seeing too much as he blocked her path.

He chuckled, "what's the matter, _Hidejiro_? Craving the company of Okita-kun? You probably think him to be much _kinder_ than I," his voice was low. An edge of danger there.

"I-I-"

He stepped back as suddenly as he had came, he enjoyed how easily she was flustered. "He went sniffing after Serizawa's woman," he shook his head. They all had better things to do. Even in this game of training this girl he was getting some practice in… as opposed to those who went from teahouse to teahouse until the early morning hours.

"And you smell… is not bathing a part of your charade as well?"

"You got in my way this morning," she answered, "that's where I was going, Okaasan has made sure I had some time before everyone else woke up." She raised her gaze to look directly at him, "_not_ to sneak away from training, Saitou-_sensei_."

So she did hear. "Tch." Just another part of this family's deception. "Did you say anything about being my page?"

"To my parents, yes." She had heard them, arguing about it after she had closed the door but then nothing had been said about it this morning… this morning that she had awoken and realized that the day before wasn't a dream, that she had indeed agreed to play along for the sake of her secret.

No details, "Do one hundred more swings with your sword then we'll see…"

See what? She wanted to ask, but bit her tongue and went to work, her aching arms protesting the entire time. No not just her arms but her entire body. Why wasn't she using a practice sword? Those wooden ones were much lighter…

Afternoon was late until he finally called an end to it. She was obviously tired, but he was hungry. "Hidejiro, that's enough."

She wanted to drop the sword out of celebration and dance around, if she was able to move, beyond nodding and securing her sword back on her side. Wondering what was for dinner… no breakfast, no lunch, nothing but well water, gulped down during a rare break.

Hide began to walk towards the house but Saitou grabbed her arm. "No, we'll go to my place," he told her, and she looked down, hoping her face wasn't red. She followed him through the streets of Kyoto, his long strides leaving the much smaller woman almost running to catch up. Through the maze of Kyoto streets to a small building that looked like the others… and Hide had a sinking feeling that they were near the infamous district in Kyoto known as Shimbara.

"Here?" she looked doubtfully at the building, and then to him.

Saitou sighed, opening the door and nodding at the woman sitting up front, and led her through the halls, and back outside to a walled courtyard. Of course a girl from a family like hers would only think the worst of a place like this. "It has a bath. And food. Or do you prefer to smell and starve all night? Either way I don't care." He looked down at her, she was pitiful really, obviously exhausted, her hair hanging down alongside her face and she was _still_ out of breath.

"Here," he showed her the door. "It's still quiet at this hour but I'll wait outside so you won't be disturbed."

Hide almost squealed in delight at the site of the bath, but first she had to take precautions. She still didn't understand why all the sudden kindness after the hell she had gone through today. Maybe this was all a plot to get to look at her… her cheeks flamed red at the thought and she frowned, scrubbing herself down in a corner as quickly and then sinking into the steaming water.

Saitou stood outside, wondering why she was taking forever. Were women always this _slow_? Smells from inside of main the building drifted back and some of the staff of the teahouse had come by, wondering why he was standing guard outside of the bathhouse. He simply scowled at those unlucky enough to cross his path.

Idly he wondered if she hadn't fallen asleep or something. Maybe he should go in? He grinned, his eyes glancing at the door. See this _girl_ once and for all. No, it probably wouldn't be worth all of the screaming and shrieking that it would cause. One thing she had correct in her disguise was the figure of a boy, she was probably a scrawny little thing and he liked to see a woman who _looked_ like one. Soon enough he would go to Shimbara, where he had seen a girl with just such a figure and dancing black eyes…

The door slid open and she finally came out. He took one look at her fresh-scrubbed face and pink cheeks and muttered, "you look like a girl."

Hide made a face at him behind his back as he led her to the main room of the teahouse. There he claimed a table and ordered for the both of them. It arrived quickly enough, and both were quiet as they ate.

_I wish I was at home_… thought Hide as she helped herself to some udon. Strange cooking in a strange place, surrounded by men. She wondered what her mother and grandmother were serving tonight? Something with nice spring vegetables, no doubt.

As she ate, his eyes scanning the room and as he remained alert even while eating. A group of loud men had entered, and were lead off to a table in the corner. His eyes narrowed and then he glanced at the small cross-dresser sitting next to him, who of course had no idea…

"Hidejiro… go up to my room." She looked up at him, her eyes questioning, and he immediately reprimanded her, "don't look like that. I have to take care of some business. Go through the kitchen, up the stairs, it's the third room on the left, room twelve."

"And don't come out until I come for you." She could barely defend herself at this point, and he wasn't going to get others involved in his past business. "No matter what you hear. Understand?"

Hide nodded and stepped out, wanting to turn back and look. By the time she was at the stairs she heard shouting, and she ran straight to the room he had directed her to, sliding the door shut behind her. From downstairs was the sound of fighting, and she wondered what was happening?

It seemed like hours passed… she didn't think to bring a lamp with her and she sat in the dark. _He better not be doing something stupid… like getting himself killed_. Then it was quiet, and the quiet was even worse.

Footsteps coming down the hallway. She rested her hand on the hilt of her sword but really, what could she do?

She wondered if it was him. Wouldn't he say so?

_Doesn't he know that I'm going crazy in here waiting?_ The door slid open and she held her breath until she determined that it was him, but he didn't even acknowledge her. He faced away, staring out the window.

"Where have you been?" She sighed and rolled her eyes, her tone showing exasperation. She went to touch his arm so he would turn around… she may be the _page_ but he deserved to know something after what had happened. "I was worried -" _Wet_…, she realized, withdrawing her hand… that the arm of his kimono was soaked and the horrible smell of blood registered in her senses.

"Saitou-san?"

"I'll take you home in a minute," he almost growled at her. Probably worried about her propriety in a place like this, and staying out late at night with a man like him.

"Are you hurt?" When he remained silent, she asked again, her voice displaying an edge of sternness, "are you hurt?"

"It's nothing." He glanced down at his arm. He'd had worse. The girl was just overreacting. Women always did at blood. At least she didn't scream or faint. He kept his eyes trained on the window. _Nobody else is coming_.

Then she was at his side, pushing his sleeve up to his shoulder. "I should still wrap it up." She frowned at it, and then at him.

"I told you-" but she was already rummaging around the room.

"Don't you have anything here I can use for bandages?"

He nodded at some sheets, "those." She went to work, tearing off strips. _Stubborn man_.

Saitou was a little surprised at her _fussing_ - her bustling about, with an efficiency he hadn't seen from her yet. And when she had begun to say she was worried, was it not about herself but _him_?

"How do you know this?" He looked over at the stack of bandages she had made.

Hide gave him a puzzled look, "I do have a younger brother… and he has friends. When they do something stupid they don't always want to go to their mothers to get bandaged up… apparently it's not as bad when I fuss at them for running with sticks or whatever it is little boys do." It was amusing then, but she wondered, with the men staying at her family's house - and the reason _why_ they were staying - would she be called to do more than tend to childhood scrapes?

He didn't answer as she did her best to clean up his arm and bandage him up. Really, he could have managed on his own, why he only _let_ her, after all. Saitou looked out the window again. Still quiet and clear, and they could go out the back. He still had things to deal with but not with her around.

"There," she finished and patted his arm. "Just looks like a scratch but it made a mess…"

She had done a good enough job and he grunted slightly. These past couple of years he tended to injuries on his own, after all. It was strange, all the _fussing_, and it left him feeling slightly uncomfortable. She should hate him after all, he was blackmailing her. Was she that naïve?

Their walk back to Mibu was mostly quiet. He noticed her looking around as if she had never seen the place. At his look, she said quietly, in her normal voice, "I never come out at night, unless there's a festival." All this trouble… at least she was seeing something different, another side to the place she had always known.

"Wait, Hidejiro," he stopped before they got to the gates of the Yagi estate. She stopped and looked up at him. "If you think this," he nodded down at his arm, "will get you out of training, you're very wrong." He smirked at her, and the expression on her face that was something like surprise. "Or at least," Saitou glanced down at his blood-stained kimono, his smirk widening into a grin, "you can do my laundry."

---

Author's Note: A blending of the NHK/RK universes. All characters belong to their respective creators/owners, I'm just writing this for fun. As always a big thanks to those who inspire me.


	4. Chapter 3 Laundry

Koishii Chapter 3

1878

He had known Kyoto well. Once he and his comrades patrolled these same streets. He had seen friends die here, others he saw in Kyoto for the last time before they met their dooms elsewhere.

"Lieutenant Fujita! You should rest more!" The Keishikan doctor fussed after him as he left the small infirmary, but two days was enough time to be caged. There was still much to be done. Too many of Shishio's henchmen out there; and some of the big names unaccounted for.

Walking briskly he hailed a carriage. He didn't want to waste time making his way across the city on foot. Certainly it had nothing to do with his injuries. Yet in the bustle of the summer afternoon he heard voices in the breeze.

_Saitou-san_! For a moment he heard her voice. Laughing and teasing. Trembling with fear, or anger. Hers… something carried in the wind and he shook his head.

He learned long ago that there was no use in pining over something that he couldn't have, didn't belong to him and was far away. Reaching for his cigarettes, he realized that something was missing from its usual place.

_Her haircomb_… Smirking slightly, he nodded as the carriage began to roll. It had been foolish to hold onto it this long, he was as always committed to moving on and she should be no exception.

1863

Saitou had overheard most of a conversation between the Hide and her parents over her late return the night before. _If their solution was deception_, he reasoned, _then having to live with keeping up appearances must be the price_.

He grinned though, she did cover for where they were last night and spoke up for him. It certainly made this all the more interesting that she didn't give into her mother. He waited for her to come out, after all he did have what he had promised for her this morning.

Breakfast and baths were a distant memory by the time Hide found herself in the back courtyard by the well. "Laundry... he really expected me to do his laundry..." Hide mumbled as she scrubbed a sleeve, remembering his smirk as he had handed her the bag. Slinging the damp clothing over her shoulder, she thought again how of every household task… it was laundry she despised the most. Why couldn't he just ask her to cook instead?

"Oh you have to do this as well, Hidejiro-kun?" Okita Souji came over and kneeled beside her and helped her lift a bucket of clean water for rinsing. "Mou… Saitou-san works you hard, but you'll be a good swordsman in the end."

"Yes." She kept her replies short and began to scrub a hakama, noting that the hems were ragged and that she should see to repairing them. "And thank you," she said as he helped her draw another bucket.

"You'll need strong shoulders too, but it won't happen instantly." He smiled at her. "But first you'll have to deal with a lot of _sore_ shoulders." Okita looked at her carefully and for a moment she was afraid that even with Saitou-san's tips, she was still somehow slipping. "You're even younger than Toudou-kun, aren't you?"

_Good… he must still believe me to be Hidejiro_. "Seventeen," old for a girl, but for a boy, the beginning of his manhood and all of the possibility that it offered, while she was already considered a bit past her time. "My father has been too busy to see to regular lessons for me." That was probably a good story; her ignorance in martial arts was a glaring fault in her disguise.

"You'll catch up in no time," he assured her with a sunny smile, and started to sort the remaining clothing. "How did Saitou-san get blood…?" He shook his head and then threw his head back in laughter at the pile of white cotton crumpled in the bottom of the bag. "I don't envy you – he may have great skill with the blade and would be one to learn from but to wash his-"

"Souji!" At the sound of his name, the young man stood up. "You'll have to excuse me, Hidejiro-kun." Hide nodded, glad he couldn't see her expression as she realized that he had given her a stack of _fundoshi_.

However it hadn't gone unnoticed, Saitou stood around the corner in the shade of the roof. "I like those clean, Hidejiro-kun. Get it?" He smirked before leaving to see who he could spar with in the training area before setting his page back to her lessons.

Another long day of practice... another evening at this same teahouse, Hide reflected, but at least she got a bath again. And he was quiet, his eyes always scanning the room. After last night he couldn't be too careful… nor could he this night. There was a large group of samurai with accents from the southwest…

The room began to fill up as they finished their dinner. Again Hide longed for home, for normal food, normal people… her normal life.

Tonight was different, or perhaps the night before she hadn't noticed the trill of feminine laughter. "I thought we weren't in Shimabara…" Hide said, watching one woman with a coquettish smile charm a man across the room and pour his sake.

Saitou held back a sigh, it was tiresome to listen to her sound like the village girl she was, seeing the reproachful look in her eyes, passing judgement. He signaled at one of the women, recognizing her from the other night. She made her way over, bearing a jar of sake and cups.

"Good evening to you both," she said, with a charming smile as she kneeled by their table.

Saitou nodded, "Hidejiro-kun, this is a woman, ne?" He grinned slightly as she poured for them, and handed the cup to Saitou, which he quickly downed.

The woman scooted closer to Saitou and he grinned slightly and she tilted her head and laughed. "Master, may I ask your name? They call me Aioi."

"Saitou Hajime," he looked at her, his eyes taking in her unrestrained curves, and growled her name, "Aioi." 

"Ha-ji-me-han," she sounded it out, slowly, meeting the eyes that carried admiration and lust so frankly. Hers were playful and appraising but no less bold. "And who is your little friend?" She nodded her head at Hide, making the ornaments in her hair click against each other, but not taking her eyes off of Saitou.

Saitou smirked. _She's good_. It had been too long and suddenly he was craving the taste of a woman, and he didn't protest as her hands danced along the front of his kimono in a series of light teasing touches, yet no disguising her intent. _Disguise. I've had enough of women who play in that._. "That's Hidejiro. Young. Innocent, ne?" He winked over at his page and was rewarded with a blush.

"My…" Aioi looked at Hide through half-lidded eyes. "Those pink cheeks, that sweet face…" She turned to look at Saitou with mock surprise, "Hajime-han, should I leave you with the boy?" She giggled behind her hand and waggled her head. "He's almost as pretty as a girl."

Saitou whispered something in her ear, something explicit and clear that expressed his preference for _women_ and what he liked to do with them.

Hide turned away from them, her cheeks flushed. From beside her, the conversation had dropped off to soft murmurs and chuckles, what she did hear… her cousins were correct about such matters.

_What a lecherous man_… Why thinking that she felt such a keen sense of disappointment, why she hated to look over there at how Aioi now had herself perched on his knee… her frown deepened.

Standing, without any notice from her sensei and the woman, Hide stalked out of the teahouse. He could tell the world for all she cared but no part of their agreement had her sitting around while he wooed women. Outside, she took a deep breath. It wasn't as late as it had been the other night and she wasn't alone on the streets. No matter. Back to Mibu. Back home.

A group of men stood by the side of the street, leaning by the wall of another teahouse, "look there… a lost little puppy," one of them said. Hide kept her gaze set directly ahead and clenched her hands in the folds of her hakama.

"You're one of those Shinsengumi dogs!" one of the men said, "I saw him with one of the other ones back at a teahouse," The largest one stepped directly in front of her, and blocked her as she tried to walk around him. The one who had first spoke to her continued," but he's more like a pup. What you say we teach this runt a lesson?" His eyes gleamed in the low light and Hide swallowed.

"Hai... little wolf cubs shouldn't stray so far alone," one stepped closer and Hide's hand went to the hilt of her sword. "That's what they are, the wolves of Mibu. Have you heard that?"

The first one laughed, "I don't think the puppy's ever had to get his sword bloody, so he's no wolf yet."

"I ask that you move. I have no quarrel with you," Hide said in her deepest voice, trying to remember what the brave samurai always said in the stories she had heard.

"Hmph. No quarrel, he says," he answered, his hand on the hilt of his sword, "is this pup ignorant, or do you think we're fools, boy?" Hide stepped back, only to find the wall of a building behind her as the three men moved in closer. "Times like these, it takes much less for a 'quarrel'." He laughed, a menacing look on his face. "And I've had just enough sake tonight to put me in the mood for a _quarrel_". Slowly he withdrew his sword, "Come on, boy."

"Hai, Hamada-san, we can show the Shinsengumi that they're not to lord around Kyoto-" Hide blinked as the man stopped talking and the lamp that hung from a nearby shop went out.

In the darkness Hide could only sense movement and a familiar voice hissing at her to stay back. Short shouts, rapid footsteps and the sound of a sword slicing through someone. Grunts and gasps as three fell to the ground, and then everything was perfectly still and silent.

"Saitou-san?"

He was quiet for a moment, his gaze and attentions focused on the men he had just dispatched before his thoughts turned to Hidejiro. "Why did you-" he shook his head and narrowed his eyes, scanning out in the darkness. At least he made it here in time, could she not manage a simple walk back to her home without finding trouble, and ruined his _plans_ for the evening.

"Don't _ever_ go off like that again," he told her, sternly, his eyes still blazing. This blackmail game was good to keep him amused, in a manner, but it would do great harm to their cause if she were to be injured or killed. If it were to happen, and word get out that the Yagi girl, masquerading as a boy, had been led into trouble by one of the unwanted and untrusted houseguests. No, just as when he first found out about her, he wasn't going to let that interrupt what they wanted to accomplish in Kyoto.

"Hai, Saitou-san," she replied, looking a bit dazed. So the rumors were correct, that he was good with his sword. In the low light she saw, his arm, the same place where it had been injured the night before, was wet again. "You arm-"

He muttered something under his breath before saying, "this isn't a time for your _kindness_, girl," he said, grabbing her by her wrist and leading her in a run away from the scene. _The sooner she was back in Mibu the better_. Hide did her best, her much smaller stride to keep up with his longer gait. The fabric strip that held her hair back broke and she almost lost a sandal as they almost flew down the ancient streets.

Finally stopping at the gates to the Yagi house, Satiou looked at her, at the hair falling down around her shoulders. And stared... his hand moved, almost by instinct, to brush back the strands hanging in her face. Wondering how soft it was, and surprised that it was. _This is wrong_…

Hide blinked as he moved his hand away from her face just as he came in contact with her cheek, as if touching her stung. Still puzzled by his actions, and why she hadn't made any effort to stop him, but the look in his eyes for that moment intrigued her.

"You'll never fool anyone with your hair down," he grumbled, stepping back. Narrowing his eyes he glanced around at the now-quiet streets. What was wrong with him? He had a much more desirable woman, ready and willing, just a few minutes ago, and had Hide behaved herself and not gone flouncing off, he would be in his room with the woman, no doubt having a much better time. _This must simply be frustration_, Saitou reminded himself, grimly. Reaching up he pulled his hair down and gave her the tie from his hair. "Up. Now."

Not seeing the point, so close to home… Hide held in a sigh and fixed herself.

Watching her, he grinned, trying not to think about... but seeing _Hidejiro_ back did something to clear his mind. "Soon we should see to shaving your head and cutting some of that hair off." Saitou smirked. "Just like your brothers, ne? Good young samurai men."

"No!" She cried out, whirling around to face him, "my hair is -not- getting cut!" She knew he was teasing. From the arch of his eyebrow -he- knew that she knew... but she continued to play at offended, looking haughty and miffed.

"Tch… and I suppose you'll use this incident tonight to say that you'll be too shaken to get in any training tomorrow." He grinned, "be ready. Early."

He was going to have to show her something, it was amusing to set her to doing his laundry but he really didn't like the idea of her really learning how to wield a sword. Country women used their naginata, but that was impractical in a city. Of course, getting her to stay out of trouble was really the best solution.

He watched as she slid the door and entered the house before he turned around to look at the other man who leaned against the wall who had been there the entire time.

"Hijikata-san?"

Staying where he was, he answered in a low voice, "I wasn't standing out to enjoy the evening air, I _was_ waiting to speak to you, Saitou-san."

Author's notes:

A blending of the NHK and RK universes, I don't own any of this! A big thanks to the ones that keep inspiring me to write!


	5. Chapter 4 Those Eyes

"Mou, Hajime-han, you're becoming a _regular_..." Aioi purred as she rolled over and began to dress. She grinned at him over her shoulder, "_three_ nights now this week?"

He smirked back at her. Really, this assignment wasn't bad, and the story of a samurai chasing after a woman was an excellent cover, and she was rather possessive for a paid companion, shooing away any other woman who so much as looked at him. As long as he kept Aioi from pouring him too much sake, he was able to do as Hijikata had asked of him that night he brought the little cross-dresser back to Mibu.

"_Are you a spy for Aizu?" Hijikata Toshizo asked, cutting to the point and not even engaging in pleasantries, "we know they have eyes on us. Are you one of them?"_

_Saitou shook his head, "no." The higher-ups in Aizu showed little regard for him, his father wasn't of high stature and his run-in with the official's son had only put a black mark on his name. _

_Hijikata pulled his pipe from his sleeve, taking his time lighting it up, the flame from the match illuminating his features. "I didn't think they'd be as foolish, given you already have known ties to them, and Kondou stood up for you that you were not." The vice-commander grinned and blew the match out now that the tobacco was burning. "Saitou, I have plans for you." _

_The younger man nodded slightly, giving away nothing. "Saitou-kun, you cannot be blind to the divisions within our group. It's distracting at least but at worst we have a group that acts in a way that is ruining the good name we need in order to be the effective protectors of Kyoto."_

_"I need you to undertake some work. Since you're not spying for Aizu, I need you to spy for me. We have internal problems... and I want one of our own to be there."_

Tonight he drank in the same teahouse with men who were loyal to Serizawa. Saitou reflected that there wasn't much to watch, unless the women clustered around them were secretly Choushuu agents. They were loud and drunk, and Serizawa himself had bowed out early. "Oume," one of them chuckled after he left. His affair with a village woman was well-known, and it was said that she was even living in his room at the Yagi house with him.

But they did speak often of the greatness of Serizawa… of how they didn't like Kondou and especially Hijikata. Were they plotting anything? They boasted of various things to the women, or complained of imagined slights from those associated with Kondou, but never anything so open. Much later they took their leave, some going up with their women. After noting who went where, Saitou would go with Aioi, making this work very pleasant overall.

He looked around the room, in a different teahouse where he had been staying. One of these days he would remember to buy new sheets to replace the ones Hidejiro had torn in making bandages.

Hidejiro. His frown deepened. He had more important things to do than fool with that little cross-dresser, and Hijikata had told him that he would let Okita and Toudou worry over her. It was a better arrangement. They were both kind young men and wouldn't be getting her involved in brawls in the red light district. Of course if Hidejiro and her family would stop being so untrusting and would drop the entire charade…

No more wasting time training a girl who shouldn't know of such things. No more lapses like the one the other night. Downing the last of the sake he snaked his arm around his companion's waist and gave the curve of her hip a squeeze as she saw him out. Real women. Real work. That's what he was about.

--

"Hidejiro-kun, pay attention!" Okita-san and Toudou-san laughed at her as she stumbled back and dropped her shinai. _I thought I had heard Saitou-san…_

"Mou... Hidejiro-kun, you didn't do this with Saitou-san, did you?" Okita laughed and the two young men grinned at each other. The young man in front of them had been Saitou-san's constant companion for days and suddenly he was nowhere to be seen and they were supposed to train the eldest Yagi son. Which was fine, it was a kindness to the family to teach the boy in return for the Yagi's hospitality, and they had fun teasing the quiet boy.

Okita stepped forward in front of her and held out his shinai. She was grateful for that at least, it was much much lighter, though the "pats" on the head hurt more than she thought a practice device _should_. "Now, Hidejiro, don't just swing wildly, try to connect."

The gate swung open from the street and a woman stood there, a bit of a smile on her lips and a fan flitting in one slender hand.

"Oume-san," she heard Okita say under his breath as she crossed, going to the door where Serizawa now stood.

Toudou leaned in close with a conspiratorial wink to Hide. "I think your sensei has become distracted," Toudou informed her, and Okita turned away from the scene to scowl at his friend.

_Father and the others have been trying to get her to leave the village,_ Hide knew some of the details but had lately missed a lot of the local gossip.

"She's very pretty and…" Toudou looked thoughtful for a moment, "vivacious. I can certainly understand the attraction, don't you, Hidejiro-kun?"

Before Hide could stammer out some sort of answer, Serizawa and Oume had made their way over to the group. "Training this late?" he asked the group. "Most young men would be thinking of having a night out." He winked at the woman who stood beside him.

"Okita-san, Toudou-san," Oume almost purred their names as she smiled at them, "you should join us some night with the others." She turned her gaze to Hide, "and the Yagi," she paused slightly, and the two women's eyes met, and Oume raised on eyebrow ever so slightly and her smile became more knowing, "boy, too. Do you like to go out to the teahouses yet? I can't remember hearing if you'd had a genpuku yet."

Hide looked away, feeling that sense of embarrassment rising. _She knows and she's enjoying it,_ she realized, until something came back into mind. "Ah, Saitou-san has taken me out a few nights."

Oume giggled. "Indeed? What a surprise…" She tugged on Serizawa's sleeve. "Let's be off, ne?" Okita's eyes stayed fixed on the woman, whose laughter could be heard echoing through the courtyard even as they had left.

Okita shook his head, blinking, "Hidejiro-kun, a little improvement. But I think I smell dinner, let's go see if Yagi-san took to my suggestion of adding manju to the menu." He smiled a sunny grin and turned around sharply.

Hide followed them in, glancing back at the courtyard behind them. It had been over a week now, perhaps Saitou-san had tired of the game they had played. Had there been trouble she would have heard about that at least. So where had he disappeared to? She should be relieved but she couldn't shake the sense of disappointment… he may have been a difficult master, but he knew her secret and at least she could unbend some around him.

---

Saitou filled in Hijikata of what he had learned of Serizawa and his men after spending several nights watching them in their hard-partying ways. The vice-commander nodded as he smoked. Saitou liked the smell, but found the pipe a hassle to deal with.

"Good. That's what I needed to know."

Saitou rose to leave, but was stopped at the door by Kondou. "Saitou-kun! I've not seen much of you but I've seen a lot of your little follower," he chuckled, "no strength in the arms, that boy." He shook his head.

To both he continued, "I hear there's going to be a sumo-style wrestling match shortly," Kondou chuckled. "I'd like to see if my old students can still tussle as well as I recall, but we have things to attend to." He nodded at Hijikata. "But Serizawa-san and Sannan are waiting for us." As they left the room, Hijikata fell a step behind and said to Saitou, "keep your eyes open."

Down in the courtyard people were gathering. Hide and her mother helped her grandmother onto a small bench. The little wresting match was all prepared, her father helping set the circle in the dirt. To one side stood those she had come to know in the more recent days – Harada, Inoue, and her instructors, Okita and Toudou. On the other were men who were affiliated with Serizawa Kamo. _So that's what this is about,_ she thought.

"Grandmother, he's right over there," Hide tried not to grin at how Hisa's eyes sparkled and her head picked up. According to her mother, in recent days the stern face that she had been showing to the visitors had fallen, even since she had had a dizzy spell and Harada Sanosuke had come to her rescue.

"_He came in carrying her and ever since then…" Masa shook her head but smiled, "she's been ill but her spirits have been well, and she comes out at mealtimes to make sure 'Sanosuke' has enough to eat." A look of sadness passed over her mother's face. "She said he reminded her of Otousan."_

"_Does he?" Hide asked, he had died before she was born so he was only a name in stories._

"_In a way… he was protective of her, since her heart has always been weak, and I remember more than one time that he had to carry her, and the moment she recovered she would cook up a feast for him." She looked at her daughter, "he was a good man."_

"Stand behind Grandmother and support her, you don't want to be dragged into this," her father reminded her as some of the men began removing their tops.

"We still need one!" Okita cried out, looking at the four men that stood on the other side of the circle. His eyes scanned those standing behind him and Hide hoped he wouldn't even _suggest_…

"Saitou-san!" Saitou picked his head up, opening one eye. He had settled in for the show, leaning against the side of the house, watching the activity. "We need one more! And I know you can wrestle, I've seen you,"

Hide turned, surprised to hear Saitou's name. _How long had he been there?_ A very wicked thought crossed her mind, after he had made her worry this past week.

"Sensei, come join them!" Hide called out, running over and pulling him by his arm. He flashed her an annoyed look, but the others joined in and he shrugged.

"Fine."

Harada won the first match, and Hide watched as he grandmother went up and gave the younger man a big hug, crying out her congratulations. _This is the woman that's spent almost the entire last week in bed?_ she wondered.

Inoue lost the second. Okita was doing well until he heard a soft voice calling out encouragement. _Oume_. Okita looked up, startled, loosing his footing and falling to the ground as his opponent grappled him, and she walked back inside to Serizawa's room.

"Now it's up to you, Saitou-san," Hide told him, and the others called out their support. Grinning slightly, he stood, and pulled down his shirt, glancing back at the others as he brushed his bangs back.

In the middle of all of the noise and excitement, he noticed Hidejiro, quiet, her eyes fixed…

_On him._

Eyes that he could feel running over his bare torso as he freed his arms from the sleeves of his kimono. Glancing back, she looked up, and he saw it – a flicker, an acknowledgement, an assessment. A look that wasn't the gaze of a merely curious young girl but of a woman, looking at a man with intent in her eyes.

Hide had seen his arm before, had even touched that arm when she bandaged him the other night, but the site of him, it was as if she had been struck in the middle of her chest, as if all of the air was forced out of her lungs and she couldn't stop looking. But she did, glancing about, but the others were too involved in the excitement of the game.

Saitou turned and smirked. He would deal with her later.

"Didn't I see you out drinking the other night?" the man asked as they entered the ring, Saitou remembered he was named Matasaburo.

"I drink in a lot of places," he answered, circling around, sizing up Matasaburo.

In a swift moment they were grappling, Saitou was surprised at the man's strength but could feel it in his arms, a slight trembling that betrayed a weakness. Pushing back, he wondered for a split second if Hide was watching.

He felt his opponent hesitate as he pushed against him, and with the force that he normally gave to his gatotsu he moved forward, knocking the man back.

"Saitou-san! Good job!" People moved around him, and he even saw the nods of approvals from Hidejiro's parents. "Two to two! A tie!" They called out.

_So this battle of faction remains unresolved_… Hide reflected

"Granny! I think we should get a treat for working so hard, yes?" Harada asked the older woman whose joyful face was quite different from the looks they had known from her.

She shook her head as if annoyed, and agreed, to further cheering. Glad the attention had shifted to him, he noticed that the four men of Serizawa leaving in the other direction, taking no part of the celebrations with the Yagis. It was then he saw Hidejiro standing to the side, hesitating as she started to follow her family.

"Come," he said, taking her by the wrist and leading her away from the others during the chaos of the celebration. He didn't bother to pull back up his shirt.

"Where have you been?" she asked, frowning as she tried to keep up.

He smirked and continued his pace to the far corner of the property, "you've met her – I'm certain you remember Aioi?"

Hide looked away and struggled to free her wrist from his grip as he dragged her around the house. "Let me go."

Stopping, Saitou turned to look at her. "Jealous, Hidejiro?" He chuckled but then looked more serious and backed her up to the estate wall which bordered the property. "I saw your eyes back there…"

"What about my eyes?" Hide asked, realizing that he _knew_.

"That was how a woman looks at a man. Had anyone else seen it your little cover would have been blown." He looked amused as he stepped closer, towering over her, "I didn't think you had it in you… I thought you were a shy little thing."

Her eyes darted away, unable to meet the burning gold of his eyes. In front of her was his chest, that same one that was getting her in trouble now, so she closed her eyes, struck by his smell, of sweat and something else she couldn't place, the heat coming from him, and suddenly she was finding it hard to speak and tell him to go away, or even to breathe.

_You're playing with fire_ rang through his mind as he released her wrist, lowering his mouth onto hers, unable to resist the girl in front of him and to see what else there was to his little "page". He meant to be ruthless and show her what it was to start something like this but the softness of her lips and the small frame that he found himself leaning into was intoxicating, inviting him not to plunder but to savor.

Hide's eyes flew open wide as he let go thinking she could escape but it was then that he _kissed her_. Too stunned at first her hand rose to push him away, only to be met by the solid mass of his shoulder and instead she awkwardly felt around to grip onto his upper arm as she felt his tongue flicker against her lips and she felt so dizzy, the sounds of people on the other side of the estate faded away and her own heartbeat drummed loudly in her head as she now held onto him with both hands as he pressed against her into the wall.

As he continued, tasting her sweetness as he deepened the kiss, a soft moan from her broke the spell, jarring Saitou as he suddenly broke away from her lips. He expected her to fight back, not to hold on. _She should know better_.

As should he.

It had ended as quickly as it started and Hide stood there against the wall, still stunned and gaping like a fish as he arms fell back down by her side. Unable to move or speak.

Saitou tore his eyes away from her, and smirked as he pulled the top of his kimono into place, "I've built up a lot of laundry. You've had a week off, time to get back to work." He watched her nod, pushing her hair back. "You are my page after all."

"In the morning, then."

_You're playing with fire, ahou…_ he reminded himself as he walked away.

Authors Note: All characters property of their respective owners. A blending of the Rurouni Kenshin and NHK Shinsengumi universes. MUCH thanks to those who inspire me to write.


	6. Chapter 5 A Night's Work

Koishii Chapter 5

Note: May not be suitable for younger readers.

Summer 1878, Outside Kyoto

Voices raised in argument woke Hide from where she had nodded off over her embroidery, as often happened on these hot, quiet days. She stepped out into the courtyard, where Hiro, head of the household servant stood, arguing with a strange man.

For a moment she was stunned, the face, the shape… _Harada-san_?

_I must either be truly haunted or going mad…_

However, a closer look… he was too young to be the man she had heard died in Ueno. The past was too much on her mind, if she thought that this stranger was Harada-san… or the man in the forest had been Hajime.

"Hiro-san, is there a problem?"

"Ohide-san, please do not trouble yourself over a vagrant-"

"I am NOT some vagrant. I'm lost!" The man insisted. He noticed Hide and grinned, "Hey, lady, can you tell me the best way to get to Mt. Hiei?"

Under his breath, Hiro muttered, "what insolence." Louder, he added, "the mountain is right in front of you, how can you get lost?"

Shrugging the man ignored Hiro and asked, "You haven't seen a cop around by any chance? Tall, with a sword and a bad attitude?

_Maybe he knows if_… "The other night-"Hide began.

Hiro spoke over his mistress, "We've seen no such person. There have been a number of shady-looking men such as yourself trespassing as of late but we chase them off. Now you move along."

"Sure," he turned, the back of his gi emblazoned with the character for… bad? "Thanks anyway," he looked back over his shoulder and winkled broadly at Hide, "and you too, ma'am. Next time you can make me lunch." He laughed to himself as he walked away, that his intention of making the old man even more red-faced and sputtering as well worked.

"Hmph. The Master and the Lady won't like to hear about this." Hide looked down, steeling herself for the inevitable visits or at least letter that would probably come about because of the strangers. But before then -

It was later in the afternoon before she took one of the maids out to the stand of pine trees. _I must know_…

-o-o-o-

Spring 1863, Kyoto

It was as if nothing had ever happened, and Hide didn't know if she should be relieved… or disappointed. The morning after the wrestling match, it was back to the usual. Saitou-san was standing there waiting for her as usual. "You're late," he had scowled before setting her on her usual round of training.

He had gone to see Aioi last night, only to learn that she would be "unavailable" for a few days. Tch… when he still had his other duties to finish up, she was "unavailable". And now the crossdresser was acting like a skittish rabbit, almost running across the courtyard if he came within a foot of her. But she had no idea how fast he was and was right behind her. Standing behind her, Saitou reached around her and corrected her grip on her sword.

"It's hard to do this properly when you keep running away," he said, smirking in her ear as he leaned in close. "Are you afraid of me, Hidejiro?"

"No," she said, turning her face away from his, away from those golden eyes that seemed to go right through her, away from thinking too much about that kiss, away from the feeling that urged her to see if it would be that breathtaking again.

He made a low noise and then chuckled, letting her go. "You should trust your teacher, Hidejiro-kun."

Saitou looked her over, again trying to see any feminine curves. No… she did pass as a boy, as long as she kept her mouth shut and didn't move. Again, he wondered why the others didn't see right through Hidejiro.

Then a thought came to him and he grinned. _Perfect_.

"Hidejiro!" He called over to her. "That's enough… for _today_." Saitou chuckled to himself as he left.

---

Saitou waited until after the patrol left for the night before sneaking back on to the Yagi property. It was too easy to get onto the roof, and he counted off the windows. That's hers…

_Tap. Tap. Tap-tap_. Hide stirred, heard nothing and rolled back over. Tap. Tap.

Her heart stopped. Who was at her window?

How many more was this going to take? Saitou stayed crouched down close to the roof, but her room remained dark and the window closed. Another pebble… he only brought so many with him, if this didn't work he was going to have to wrench open her window and deal with it _later_.

Slowly Hide went to the window, pulling it open an inch to peer out before a hand shot through the opening and slid the screen.

"Sa-Saitou-san?" Hide whispered, clutching the neck of her sleeping yukata and taking a step back.

"I don't have time for your modesty." He looked at her in the low light. The surprise of this amused him, he thought he might finally catch her – but the figure in the yukata was as undefined as always. "Throw something over that, you won't be in it long anyway."

Her eyes flew open wide. "Tell me – what is going on?" She still made no move to get dressed, and he wasn't going to drag her around in just that, no matter how late it was.

"Didn't I tell you earlier – you should trust your sensei? Dressed. Now." Saitou ordered, sighing as he turned around, but he did hear the rustle of fabric and shortly, "I'm ready."

He picked her up and at her protest he smirked down at her. "Can you climb down this roof yourself?" Hide shook her head and her hands clinched the material at the front of his kimono.

It was slightly more difficult to get down with her, but she was at least light. Once they were on the streets of Kyoto he finally spoke. "Aren't you wondering why I came for you in the middle of the night?"

"I can walk for myself now," she answered, and he finally put her down. "Unless we're going to be scaling more walls." Looking around… she recognized that they were near Shimabara. "Saitou-san, why did you bring me out here?"

"Aioi was unavailable." He started walking while he let that sink in.

Hide stood in the middle of the street, her mouth hanging open. As she realized just what he meant - "That is not part of being a page!" Her faced flushed red, and her mind flashed back to the other afternoon.

Saitou was enjoying this but for a moment wondered why she always thought the worst of him. _Enough playtime_. "It's not that." It was bad enough that he was involving her but he didn't want to take his chances on some unknown companion tonight. "It's work. For the Miburoshi." He knew the Yagi family supported Kondou's faction from the way they acted but it was still better to remain vague. The less she knew the better.

He lead her back to a teahouse, around to the back entrance, and into a small room that barely had space for a futon. Laid out across it was a kimono of bright silk. "Put that on. You do remember how?"

"Yours?" Hide murmured, hiding a grin as she knelt down to finger the material and assess if everything that went with a kimono was there. It wasn't but she could improvise.

"I borrowed it." He didn't elaborate, but it was Aioi's. Saitou wondered how the crossdresser would make something that the more voluptuous woman wore fit, but that was something women knew. Smirking, he thought of how his usual interest was not the _dressing_ part…

"This is for… the Miburoshi?"

"For once, Hidejiro…" he looked down at her, she had already freed her hair from its tie and it lay around his shoulder. Blinking to break the spell of distraction, Saitou continued, "trust me."

"When you're dressed, come out to the front. Look like you know what you're doing and bring some sake. I'll be out there, come sit with me a follow my lead." With one last glance, he said, "Yamaguchi. That's my name tonight. But to filling your role correctly, it should be 'Hajime-han'."

Hide dressed quickly, delighting in the familiar feeling of dressing like a woman again… of putting her hair up. She didn't remove the bindings on her chest, simply for time. Taking one last tern around the small room – the long sleeves of the furisode, the weight of the obi bow in back… she sighed happily. Even if it was a much brighter color and bolder pattern than she would normally wear, at least she felt right in it.

Following the hall to the voices, she was stopped by an old woman. "You're Yamaguchi's woman?" She gave Hide a sharp look. "Tie in the front, missy. This is Shimabara. I don't know where he brought you in from, but wait-" Before Hide could protest the stout woman was behind her, then in front, replacing the elaborate arrangement with a simpler tie in the front. Hide tried not to look embarrassed. _That's how… courtesans wear them_. "Better. Tsk." She handed Hide a small tray with sake and two cups. "Remind him that he _owes_ me."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you." Hide now looked out into the larger room, letting her eyes adjust to the low light. It was full of men, and women dressed like her, and the sound of feminine laughter could be heard with the loud conversation. Looking around… _there he is_.

_And he isn't alone! _

Clutching the tray tightly, she made her way over to the alcove where Saitou-san was sitting, two women giggling next to him. "Hajime-han, Aioi is ill tonight. Will you have time for Kayami or Riko?" The other one giggled more and smiled in a knowing manner. "Or both, if you're up for it, Hajime-han?"

Saitou looked up at Hidejiro, and smirked at the annoyance that was plain on her face… _or is she jealous?_ _She is so easy to read_. "I'm sorry, ladies… but she's the one I want." He caught his page's eyes and they held his gaze, she didn't look away but only nodded slightly. "Hajime-han, I've brought you refreshment," she said, using her own voice. Hide stumbled slightly, calling him other than Saitou-san. _Hajime_.

"Mou, Hajime-han…" the other woman protested but got up, leaving them alone.

"So you bring me sake…" he looked her over once again. The kimono… so there was no spectacular figure hiding under her disguise. Pity, but it was a better look on her. "Sit down," he said in a low voice.

Hide did, and poured the sake for him on his instructions. "Talk, but not too loud. Just prattle on about something, that's what they all do," Saitou told her in a quiet whisper, pulling her close. She didn't protest and after a moment, he felt her relax against him. But his mind was focused on the events in the booth next to them, and he shut the soft woman next to him out of his mind. "And keep any of the other women away. They can be persistent."

The talk… it wasn't Serizawa this time. Saitou noticed that he had taken a liking to the one girl Oume and they spent most of their time alone recently. However, it was a group of his men, and they had were ahead of him on drinking. Saitou narrowed his eyes as they bragged to the girls that attended them of how they would be running the Miburoshi, and keeping their own brand of "peace" in Kyoto.

_Fools… obvious fools_. This was just more to what he had already told Hijikata about; the same talk but with the drinking making them more bold in announcing their intentions.

"Hush!" One of them suddenly said, and Saitou heard the sound of a sake cup slamming down on the table. "That demon could be sending spies after us."

"I thought I saw that one – Saitou whoever – here earlier. He's tall, and has that hair…"

There were sounds as one of them left his seat, and Saitou reached for the closest distraction he could find, the one wrapped in yellow silk that was cozied up to his side. "Play along," he murmured, shifting her around so that her hair blocked the view of his face, and he settled his lips on Hidejiro's. Keeping his eyes slightly open, he tilted her head to the side, so he could see past her. The man who spoke of him stood in the middle of the room, peering around.

"I thought that could have been him at the table next to us, but it's some drunk pawing up a woman." This was met with a chorus of laughter. "And how is that different from the rest of this place?"

"So it's not him?" Saitou recognized the voice as the other co-commander, Niimi.

"No… besides, the one I was thinking of is always going around with the Yagi boy. I don't think that it's ladies he –" There was more laughter, but Saitou only smirked as he continued with Hidejiro, her lips finally parting as he let his tongue dart inside, tasting her sweetness. His page indeed… but ah, what they didn't know about the 'Yagi boy'…

_Play along_… but it was hard to think about anything but Saitou-san. He tasted like sake and something else she couldn't describe, like… _heat_. Was it the alcohol on his lips or him that was making her feel slightly dizzy and light-headed? As he deepened the kiss, it was all she could do to hold on.

Finally Saitou released her and broke away, liking what he saw, her cheeks flushed as she clung to him, her blinking her eyes slowly as if dazed. "You did well," he chuckled quietly, and was unable to resist nibbling on her earlobe. _This was very wrong_… something within him reminded himself, but like the other day, she hadn't pushed him away.

"They're leaving," she whispered, looking back up at him, after catching her breath. Indeed, Niimi and his men were settling their tabs and leaving, some taking ladies with them.

_I want to_… Saitou was surprised when it was Hidejiro who initiated the next kiss, and he let his hand drift down to rest on the small of her back. This time he took it further, playing a little more rough as he took from those lips, but she followed back, taking to this tutorial faster than her kendo lessons.

But the skin of her neck called to him, and returning her ears he trailed kisses from her ears and moved down, sampling the her taste and being rewarded with little gasps and as he nibbled along her exposed collarbone…

"Hajime…" it came out as a soft sound, caught in a sigh.

Saitou moved back, releasing his grip on her to look at her with blazing eyes. Hide looked back, stunned for a moment that it had stopped again, and her cheeks flushed at the look he was giving her. _Did I do something wrong? Or… did I do something –right-?_ She felt exhilarated, but not scared as she met his eyes. This was so new, and she was surprised that it was indeed as addicting as her older cousins had said it was.

_Her eyes… _He remembered the other day, at the wresting match. This was the same look

_Enough playtime_…

"So…" he started, looking down at the opening of her kimono… and the obi, knotted in front. He toyed with the ends of the tie. Now it was her turn to look at her with burning eyes. "Should we take this back to the room?"

Outside, two of the men lingered by the entrance to the teahouse.

"That was him. I'm certain of it."

"So was he spying or was this just a coincidence?"

"Hmph. What do you think? One of Hijikata's wolves, just happens to be at the same place we are? Niimi is right, they are spying on us!"

"But you know…" he laughed as he looked over at his comrade, "that man has ties beyond those people. If you ever drank outside of Shimabara – you would find out that the spy Saitou made some enemies already."

"So we can have the spy taken care of without blood on our hands?" Not that they cared, but in this battle of factions… it was best to keep such things in the shadows.

"We'll take care of this tonight." Two men turned back to enter teahouse, hands on their swords.

-o-o-o-

Author's Note: Hmmm… stay tuned for the next chapter. grins

As always, I do not own any of these characters, they belong to the people who originally made them up – primarily Watsuki-sensei and the producers of NHK's Shinsengumi. Thanks as always to those who keep me inspired. :D


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